Dead Journalists and the Newseum Scandal

A memorial for journalists who died while reporting the news wouldn’t seem to be the kind of thing that would attract controversy, but that’s exactly what’s happened with an exhibit at the Newseum.

On May 10, the Huffington Post‘s Michael Calderone reported that the museum was being criticized by “conservative outlets and a pro-Israel think tank” over the inclusion in its Journalists Memorial of two reporters from Al-Aqsa TV, which is run by Hamas.

Hussam Salama and Mahmoud al-Kumi were cameramen for the outlet, and were killed in an Israeli aistrike on Gaza in 2012. As Calderone reported, the museum appeared to be standing firm:

A Newseum spokesman noted that their car was “clearly marked ‘TV'” and explained the criteria by which the journalism museum honors those who’ve fallen in the field.

But to the Newseum’s critics, Hamas’ status as a U.S.-designated terrorist organization meant that the journalists should not be considered reporters at all.

Within days, the Newseum was changing its mind, as Calderone (5/13/13) reported in an update:

The Newseum announced Monday that it will not honor two cameramen killed while working for Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV, reversing a Friday decision to include them on a memorial for fallen journalists following pressure from conservative media outlets and organizations supporting Israel.

Calderone’s reporting includes comments from the group Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which has criticized Israel’s targeting of the journalists.

But the controversy actually brings to a mind a very similar incident that also involved CPJ.

In 1999, the U.S.-led NATO bombing of Serbia included an attack on Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) in Beglrade, which killed 16 journalists working for the state outlet. CPJ protested the attack in a letter, but then the following year decided not to include those journalists in its list of media workers killed in the line of duty.

As FAIR noted (Extra!, 9/00), the group defended their decision on the grounds that the station had been “an integral part of an ethnic cleansing campaign” in previous Balkan wars. The station was not alleged to have been part of any such effort at the time NATO attacked its headquarters.

As FAIR argued, if encouraging attacks on civilian targets during the Kosovo airstrikes meant that one could no longer be considered a journalist, then people like Fox‘s Bill O’Reilly and Tom Friedman of the New York Times would be in trouble. (FAIR sent a letter to CPJ, endorsed by Noam Chomsky, Amy Goodman and others–8/2/00).

And Nima Shirazi (Wide Asleep in America, 5/13/13) points out that the Newseum’s decision is disturbing, because attempting to set such a standard is fraught: Some journalists who have been included in Newseum tributes worked for government-sponsored outlets, including at least one active-duty military journalist. Shirazi writes:

Apparently, the Newseum has determined that our propaganda deserves respect and admiration, while their propaganda (in this case, documenting on camera the effects Israeli bombs and missiles have on the human flesh of Palestinian people at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital) should be condemned, targeted and investigated.

So why did the Newseum change its mind? It sure seems like the people doing the complaining were powerful, and they were complaining about journalists with relatively little power, affiliated with a political movement the U.S. government considers a terrorist organization.

It’s exactly the type of politicized decision that the Newseum should avoid if it wants to stand for journalistic independence.

Activism Director and and Co-producer of CounterSpinPeter Hart is the activism director at FAIR. He writes for FAIR's magazine Extra! and is also a co-host and producer of FAIR's syndicated radio show CounterSpin. He is the author of The Oh Really? Factor: Unspinning Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly (Seven Stories Press, 2003). Hart has been interviewed by a number of media outlets, including NBC Nightly News, Fox News Channel's O'Reilly Factor, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday and the Associated Press. He has also appeared on Showtime and in the movie Outfoxed. Follow Peter on Twitter at @peterfhart.

The White House is trying to distance itself from a bombshell report that the Department of Justice collected telephone records of Associated Press journalists in an investigation into leaks of classified information.

The Newseum, with no vetting at all it appears, took a $7 million gift from the Greenspun media empire. This empire was built with $500k in seed money that convicted felon Hank Greenspun earned selling stolen and weapons bought on false pretenses from the War Assets Administration to sell to Irgun terrorists and the Haganah. The “Greenspun Terrace” was therefore built with blood money, but this ironic fact is getting no press attention.

Considering the Plutocrats want to make all outlets organs of their mind set. I see why the Newseum rolled over. The “7 Mountains” idea of taking over key parts of our society with the idea of surround then smother any other sources and resources. Whether religious, industrial, culture and so on in order to have complete control of society. Creating a defacto coup de ta. Just as in our economy as the Middle Class is reduced and the Unions being reduced to uselessness. Sending the bulk of the wealth to top 10% eliminates any chance of democracy in our Republic. Makes our Republic defacto defunct as well.

When governments & leaders live, work and speak with Integrity we will have loyalty, honesty, truthfulness and justice for every nation and all nations. We and many other nations deny Integrity. Therefore, all of us are unjust and dishonest. Fr. / Dr. Larry Stockman

Journalists are journalists, whoever they work for or with and should not be killed in the line of duty. Period. Anyone who draws a line between “our” journalists who should be protected and “their” journalists who should not is begging for poor treatment at the hands of their enemies. The Newseum should be ashamed of stooping this low by bowing to this illegitimate pressure.

I found the selling of Bill O’Reilly tee shirts in the gift shop disturbing
when I visited the Newseum. Didn’t WikiLeaks also show a deliberate
bombing of a hotel which housed reporters from other nations?
The corporate newsmedia has lost sight of the purpose of a free press.

Sad that anyone has to die in a conflict.This story does not indicate what the Israelis were aiming at,and if they hit it.Was this a smart bomb gone wrong?A dumb bomb gone right?How close were the reporters to whatever it is the IDF was aiming at.Was this “marked” car the aiming point -as they drove across the open desert?or was it truly an accident due to their proximity?

Wow mike! I just decided to stop reading your comments. How on earth would the variables you mention matter in regards to honouring these people as fallen journalists? maybe they WERE unlucky, stupid, or careless, but that has no bearing on “Were they journalists that fit the criteria for mention in the museum?”

So, If you can’t find anything nasty to say then you resort to straw man arguments? Why do you even come to FAIR?

sorry. that was rhetorical, as I will be skipping over any comments you make.

Well said and true. I’m tired of the self congratulatory attitude of the right wing elements of the press corp. They ought to be, lock, stock and barrel, sent to war zones to express their high mindedness. Their jingo ism is disgusting, since it is completely self serving.

Actually carter I do apologize if my questions were put in a way that would make you think Im against their inclusion in the museum.I see no reason why they should not be included.Their sensibilities aside ,they were simply doing their job(a very dangerous job).I was jumping ahead actually.In researching their deaths,I found very little information as to the way they died.Im always annoyed at that.Especially since their brother journalists are reporting on the circumstances.One thing you may owe me an apology on……..Read people comments.I was not the only one to go a “bit afield”Yet…….I was the only one you felt obliged to criticize. Classic

Tim” there you go again”.I do not mean well?The truth is,is that I contribute on a sight that tries its best to throw smoke screens around liberal progressive ideas.While at the same time attacking conservative ideals at every turn.I have no doubt that my constant championing of American exceptionalism ,and conservative capitalism bonded with constitutional principles would be ” incoherent” to you.You are a self avowed (and proud)socialist!And I agree that on this sight-your views are more mainstream.But really…lets get real.This is still America

The simple answer is that they should be included, even if they are part of a group that we (the people) and/or we (the US government) don’t like. I don’t like the majority of the journalists (or more accurately ‘journalists’) at Fox News, but if any of them were killed they’d deserve the honour just as well.